Wednesday, 9 October 2013

'Part of the Harbour of Port Jackson, and the country between Sydney and the Blue Mountains, New South Wales', an Aquatint by R Havell & Sons, after Major James Taylor, c.1821

The Transport ship 'Earl Spencer' arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia in the forenoon of Saturday 9th October 1813, after a voyage of 129 days. It would be the last transport to bring large numbers of convicted Luddites from the 1811/1812 disturbances, a later ship bringing one remaining prisoner from the trials thus far.

The ship had left Portsmouth on 2nd June 1813, and had stopped at Madeira exactly a month later, before completing the rest of the journey unbroken. Four prisoners died on the trip. The prisoners went ashore 5 days after arriving on 14th October, and included 17 men convicted of various offences connected with Luddism: